we got one for our trip to laughlin (now if you cant find laughlin with a map you shouldnt be driving).

i dont mind driving in big cities, but am definitely not used to it. i like to either memorize a map beforehand or have a good co-pilot to give me directions.

and in a true act of retrosexuality, i have no shame in asking the 1st stranger where i am at or where the 'f' i am going, if i am lost.

but our tom-tom has sucsessfully navigated me to las vegas casinos, and most recently to a scottsdale AZ hospital, smack dab in the middle of what i though was phoenix.

these things are amazing. and actually fun too. it calculates your estimated time for a trip and if you stop off for a smoke, you see how much time you lost and can easilly calculate how much you got to speed to make up lost time. :thumbsup:

the detail and accuracy is pretty impressive, and the best thing of all is there is no monthly charge. while it is pretty much a luxury item for me, i would recommend it for anyone who travels on a regular basis.

Borski

05-06-2009, 12:13 AM

yeah its great, I have a tom tom. I drive long distences somewhat frequently and though I generally know where I'm going its good to have the gps to make sure you stay on track, and its also great at finding places to eat along the way in strange towns. I would recommend one to anyone who owns a car.

MACH1

05-06-2009, 12:48 AM

Nope, I'd like to get one though.

If you were to be further north, like Jackpot, Wells or Elko. I'd let you buy me a drink. :laughing:

SteelersinCA

05-06-2009, 01:13 AM

Garmin is the way to go, best GPS out there, imho

El-Gonzo Jackson

05-06-2009, 01:42 AM

Yeah, got the wife a Garmin and its pretty cool. Great for travelling to new city;s or navigating unknown addresses in a big city.

I read that TomTom systems are better maps for Europe and the Garmin 255 has a faster processor in it.

Crushzilla

05-06-2009, 01:51 AM

I got one for my birthday.

It was something I'd never buy, but I find it really useful.

I have a Garmin.

It's awesome. It's comforting to know I can just hit "go home" and find my way there.

They seem like a very "spaceship" quality. Living in the back-country, I can see how the road bends ahead.

Also, I love how it tells me the speed limit and how fast I am going. It's a lot easier than looking down at the speedometer (like that was a big hassle).

I often find myself using it when I'm just cruising around. It probably makes me look like a d-bag, but who cares...

I'd keep an eye on that little guy, and take the mounting bracket off when you get out.

EDIT: I realize you don't leave it just mounted there in all it's glory. I'm just saying... consider taking it with you instead of stashing it in the glove.

Also, my brother said that cold weather (not a concern for you) wrecks havoc on the lithium batteries.

SteelersinCA

05-06-2009, 01:56 AM

They have a new program, I forget what it's called, saw it on the news in SD that you can download and it warns you when you are coming up on red light camera's, known speed trap, sudden speed limit changes, etc. The cops are all pissed about it. Why they would be pissed about people following the rules of the road, I have no clue, cops for ya.

Steeldude

05-06-2009, 01:57 AM

sometimes they steer you in the wrong direction. i went to vegas in the lexus and used it's built-in navigator. i was looking for the monte carlo casino(free room woo hoo) and it said take a left when getting off of the freeway. i could clearly see monte carlo on the right, but i obeyed the navigator. i figured with so many small one-way streets and the construction going on, it knew better than me. turns out it kept making me turn in circles, but never quite near the monte carlo.

but yeah, they are cool. so many things can be found with them with a click of a button.

i heard truck drivers have to be careful with them because the navigators don't take into account the height of an underpass.

SteelersinCA

05-06-2009, 02:06 AM

I have heard there are problems with the lexus in car navigation, but I dunno. The other problem I noticed with most of them is they have no concept of the "bad Part" of town. On my Acura in car navigation you can put in areas to avoid, not so on my wife's Garmin.

MasterOfPuppets

05-06-2009, 02:16 AM

we got one for our trip to laughlin (now if you cant find laughlin with a map you shouldnt be driving).

i dont mind driving in big cities, but am definitely not used to it. i like to either memorize a map beforehand or have a good co-pilot to give me directions.

and in a true act of retrosexuality, i have no shame in asking the 1st stranger where i am at or where the 'f' i am going, if i am lost.

but our tom-tom has sucsessfully navigated me to las vegas casinos, and most recently to a scottsdale AZ hospital, smack dab in the middle of what i though was phoenix.

these things are amazing. and actually fun too. it calculates your estimated time for a trip and if you stop off for a smoke, you see how much time you lost and can easilly calculate how much you got to speed to make up lost time. :thumbsup:

the detail and accuracy is pretty impressive, and the best thing of all is there is no monthly charge. while it is pretty much a luxury item for me, i would recommend it for anyone who travels on a regular basis.
:busted::busted::busted::spam::busted::busted::bus ted:....TOMTOM SALESMAN !!! :busted::busted::busted:

tony hipchest

05-06-2009, 02:23 AM

im pretty anal about my driving. i can easilly figure out that a 450 mile trip to phoenix should only take me 5 hours if i drive 90 MPH (which is only 15 mph above the speed limit all the way through).

i can easilly figure out that if i find myself stuck at 80 mph behind a bunch of slow semi's for 10 minutes, i gotta drive at 100 mph for 10 minutes to compensate and make my time.

i find myself doing WAY too much math in my head when i travel, and i HATE math (seriously... im doing wonderlic type of shit with no pen and paper).

these navigation systems eliminate all of that! that alone makes it worth the $200 for me.

if youre a sirius user, having the dual jacks is a must (although i may be one of a dying breed cause i need 3- i actually like lighting a smoke using the "cig lighter")

steelwall

05-06-2009, 02:25 AM

God I wish I had GPS here in this city. You can get lost after only going a few blocks... Everything looks the same...... sadly I can't read Chinese, I need an English version (which I have not been able to find here)

I had tom-tom when I was back in the states as I had to do alot of traveling...extremely handy, warning though... It will spoil you.

SteelersinCA

05-06-2009, 02:32 AM

If you live in a big city the traffic is a godsend too. It calculates your drive time given traffic and reroutes you accordingly if needed, way cool.

X-Terminator

05-06-2009, 04:31 AM

They have a new program, I forget what it's called, saw it on the news in SD that you can download and it warns you when you are coming up on red light camera's, known speed trap, sudden speed limit changes, etc. The cops are all pissed about it. Why they would be pissed about people following the rules of the road, I have no clue, cops for ya.

Well that's pretty obvious - cities/towns/boroughs make a lot of money off tickets for moving violations, and that cuts into their income. Fewer people being caught speeding or running red lights means fewer cops needed to patrol the areas, and that could lead to job cuts. It wouldn't shock me if there were some areas where they factor the money from speeding tickets into the budget.

Anyway, the rental car we used when I took a trip to Dover last year had a Magellan GPS in it, and it was a godsend. When I finally get my own car, I will have one for sure.

SteelersinCA

05-06-2009, 10:15 AM

Well that's pretty obvious - cities/towns/boroughs make a lot of money off tickets for moving violations, and that cuts into their income. Fewer people being caught speeding or running red lights means fewer cops needed to patrol the areas, and that could lead to job cuts. It wouldn't shock me if there were some areas where they factor the money from speeding tickets into the budget.

Anyway, the rental car we used when I took a trip to Dover last year had a Magellan GPS in it, and it was a godsend. When I finally get my own car, I will have one for sure.

Right, I'm sure that's why too, but when their #1 priority is to "serve and protect" you would think they would be happy about people driving safer.

lilyoder6

05-06-2009, 11:29 AM

i have a garmin.. and i love it.. it just handy to have.. and saves all the time looking at a map

xfl2001fan

05-06-2009, 12:07 PM

Right, I'm sure that's why too, but when their #1 priority is to "serve and protect" you would think they would be happy about people driving safer.

It costs money to set up those cameras and speed traps. It's ruining some of their work...and taking money away that they are likely counting on to keep officers on the job.

Dino 6 Rings

05-06-2009, 12:50 PM

I still like maps and guess work. Plus I'm not above stopping and asking directions.

My wife has a GPS device on her new blackberry, she likes to watch it while we drive around and watch us travel live on the map.

I've actually caught her walking around the house watching the Dot move on her Blackberry as she goes from the bedroom to the Kitchen.

SteelMember

05-06-2009, 12:56 PM

I still like maps and guess work. Plus I'm not above stopping and asking directions.

My wife has a GPS device on her new blackberry, she likes to watch it while we drive around and watch us travel live on the map.

I've actually caught her walking around the house watching the Dot move on her Blackberry as she goes from the bedroom to the Kitchen.

Does the Dot split if she uses the restroom? :laughing:

SteelersinCA

05-06-2009, 01:06 PM

It costs money to set up those cameras and speed traps. It's ruining some of their work...and taking money away that they are likely counting on to keep officers on the job.

Most red light cameras make retarded amounts of money for the city, check it out. In CA $400 for running a red light and when the light changes you'd think Britney Spears stepped out with all the flash bulbs going off. If anything they bring money in.

xfl2001fan

05-06-2009, 01:21 PM

Most red light cameras make retarded amounts of money for the city, check it out. In CA $400 for running a red light and when the light changes you'd think Britney Spears stepped out with all the flash bulbs going off. If anything they bring money in.

No, what I was saying was that the GPS devices that are alerting drivers to these items are costing the local government money...because drivers are being more cautious. Local governments rely on that money for funds and are losing out. I know the cameras add a lot of money to the funds...but they only add money if people run those red lights.

SteelersinCA

05-06-2009, 01:29 PM

Gotcha, true.

Texasteel

05-06-2009, 05:04 PM

I got a Garmin a couple of months ago. Did not want to head down a dead end road pulling a 36" 5th wheel.